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Cluttered £285k home proves London flats are so in demand sellers don't even need to tidy up

Homeowners putting their properties on the market are often advised to clear away the clutter and add some fresh flowers if they want to get the best offers.

But in London’s red hot sellers’ market — in which buyers out-number properties for sale by 13 to one — some feel they do not need to bother.

This “spacious” two-bedroom flat in Tulse Hill has gone on the market for £285,000 without any effort to conjure up an image of domestic bliss.

On the contrary, the interior pictures show a level of mess that would not be out of place on a TV programme about extreme hoarders.

In one bedroom, boxes are piled almost to the ceiling while two packets of biscuits have been left on the bed.

Strewn with rubbish: This photo is being used to sell the flat
The kitchen of the flat — which the particulars say “would benefit from updating” — is almost invisible under detritus and the window is largely obscured by hanging clothes.

Could be a bedroom? This room appears to be used as a dumping ground
Alex Gosling, managing director of estate agents Housesimple.co.uk, said: “London properties are selling like hot cakes but in the current market they do not have to look that edible.”

James Brooks, co-owner of Streatham-based Brooks Estate Agents, which is selling the Tulse Hill flat, said: “Usually in this situation we would only take pictures of the outside, but now we think we should show exactly what people are going to see so they don’t get spooked when they go inside.”

Not too messy: The flat's bedroom is garishly decorated
He said another flat in the block had already sold for £350,000 so the property was offered at “a good price” and a viewing had been booked within hours of it going on the market. He added: “That price will encourage people to see it, the money they save is an awful lot which they can spend on tidying up.”

The exterior of the Tulse Hill flat
Mr Gosling said properties were fetching an almost unheard of 101 per cent of asking price on average. David Newnes, director of the Your Move online agency, said: “Creating competition among buyers is the best way of maximising the price of your home. At the very least, de-cluttering will maximise the available space.”